Ten Days Journey Into The Self

Author(s): Chitrabhanu
Publisher: Jain Meditation International Centre

Page 13

Chapter Three - Meditation And The Second Essential Virtue --
Appreciation
Friends. To describe how we enter meditation, I often use the simile of the bee seeking honey. He buzzes and buzzes, just as when we are beginning meditation, our thoughts go buzzing around in our heads. Then the bee selects a flower, as in concentration we select a word, or thought, or object. However, when the bee penetrates the flower and finds honey, the buzzing stops. Now, the bee is all absorbed in what he has found, in his union with what he has discovered. In the same way, when we reach meditation, beyond all thoughts we find joy, ecstasy, and bliss at our center. Today we will enter meditation by first concentrating on the virtue I call appreciation. First we concentrated on amity. Now we will concentrate on the second virtue, appreciation. In the words of The Immortal Song, "May my heart sing with ecstasy at the sight of the virtuous, And may my life be an offering at their feet." Would life appear meaningful without those in the past and the present who incarnate human potential beyond aggression, self-interest, and ignorance, the enablers and exemplars who show us something of what life can and shall be? The great prophets cast their light of hope and human glory far in time and space, but few of us have learned how to exalt life as they did! Too often we profane it instead. Yet how impoverished this planet would be if we did not have before us the example of those who have followed different imperatives than the poor souls who struggle merely to survive, or those who live merely to get ahead in the rat race, to acquire a few more possessions, a little more external good fortune and status than their neighbors---not caring whom they harm in the battle! Truly, how distorted our vision would be if only the conquerors, or the rulers, or the richest were held up before us ! Alexander the Great once went to see Diogenes, the celebrated philosopher. "What Can I do for you?" asked the conqueror of the world wishing to patronize him. The philosopher thought for a moment, and then replied, "Please step aside, so you won't come between me and the sun." A person of power blocks the rays of the sun, and casts a shadow. A wise man receives and gives light. We need the great of the past who gave light, and also the great who have cast light in today's world, such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King. To create that which can be means not to blindly conform to what is. We need to show appreciation for those who put practice before preaching, who have the caring and commitment, and who have the courage to confront current practices which conflict with the dictates of light and love. However, appreciation begins with those nearest us; as you want appreciation, give it. Children, in their efforts to grow, need appreciation. Husbands and wives, in their dedications to each other, need appreciation. Parents, whatever their shortcomings, need appreciation. The mechanic who does an especially good job on our car deserves appreciation. We must learn to appreciate, and to show appreciation for the virtues and talents and efforts of all others. And our appreciations must be the kind that flows from the heart, not the flattery which falls easily from the lips. And when we meet a greatly accomplished person, a highly evolved soul, we must offer our time and services for the good causes he wishes to further. Some unfortunate people, in the grip of the small ego, tend to deny another's progress and accomplishments. Especially if the talented ones are only a few steps ahead, the envious are prone to berate and disparage them. If someone sings better than one of